09/06/2026
Dogs are polyphasic sleepers, which means they naturally sleep in lots of shorter periods across the day and night rather than having one long consolidated sleep like most adult humans. They move repeatedly between wakefulness, drowsiness, NREM sleep and REM sleep.
So rather than obsessing over whether a dog has reached a particular number of hours, I think the more useful questions are:
Can this dog genuinely switch off?
Can they sleep without being repeatedly disturbed?
Has their sleeping pattern changed?
What keeps waking them up?
A dog lying quietly in a bed is also not necessarily asleep. They may be resting, drowsy or still monitoring everything going on around them. This is particularly relevant in anxious or hypervigilant dogs who may appear physically still while remaining very environmentally aware.
Experimental studies have shown that after sleep deprivation, dogs demonstrate a measurable recovery response, including increased subsequent rest. Sleep also appears to play an important role in learning and memory.
Large owner studies have found associations between disturbed sleep and more reported behaviour problems, while poorer sleep efficiency has also been associated with greater hyperactivity and impulsivity.
Canine studies also show that learning experiences can alter subsequent sleep, and features of NREM sleep have been linked with later learning performance. So after difficult behaviour work, I am much more interested in allowing a dog to decompress and genuinely rest than immediately giving them another stimulating activity.
And finally, sleep quality matters just as much as apparent sleep quantity. So when Iâm assessing behaviour, sleep is something I increasingly ask about.
Where does your dog sleep?
How easily do they settle?
How often do they wake?
What wakes them?
Do they move position frequently?
Do they pant, scratch or pace?
Can they sleep during the day when the household is active?
And perhaps most importantly: has any of this changed alongside the behaviour problem?
